BAGRAM, AFGHANISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- American forces have 'abused and tortured' numerous prisoners at Afghanistan's main prison, a commission set up by Afghan President Hamid Karzai claimed on Sunday.

The abuse allegedly occurred at the Bagram prison, officially known as the Parwan Detention Center, which is located in Bagram, a small town in Parwan Province, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of the capital Kabul.

It is not the first time that abuse claims have been brought up against U.S. forces in connection with their actions at the prison, which has been run by U.S. forces since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

In 2005, the New York Times obtained a report by Amnesty International which claimed that the administration of former U.S. President George W. Bush allowed 'atrocious' human-rights violations, and that the United States was encouraging abuse worldwide. The report named several incidents worldwide, including some at Bagram.

Among the new claims by a commission headed by Gul Rahman Qazi, and set-up by President Karzai, are that American forces beat prisoners, exposed them to extreme conditions and performed humiliating cavity searches. Other claims said prisoners were denied legal counsel and even tortured with gas.

Qazi noted that although there is no clear evidence of abuse on the bodies of prisoners, they heard graphic claims from a number of different inmates. One specific claim came from a 72-year-old man who said he had been held in a pitch-black room and lost a tooth after being punched, according to the BBC.

A spokesman for the United States embassy in Kabul told the BBC that they take the allegations very seriously. "We take seriously and investigate all allegations of detainee abuse," the spokesperson was quoted as saying.

Amid these new claims of abuse, Karzai has called on U.S. forces to hand over control of the prison to Afghan forces within 30 days.

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